


"Pesky Echoes..."

by Whoufflefan97



Series: "There's a time for Living..." [1]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Coal Hill, Echoes, F/M, TARDIS - Freeform, Trenzelore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 03:00:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5273996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whoufflefan97/pseuds/Whoufflefan97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clara's having a hard time after Trenzelore and is too stubborn to admit that she needs help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Pesky Echoes..."

"Pesky Echoes..."

Doctors PoV

'Hi this is Clara Oswald - I'm busy right now. Please leave a message' Clara's voice mail squeaked. 

'Clara this is getting old. If you don't answer my calls I will come by--' 

'Don't come by. I'm busy... Teaching' she said very unconvincingly suddenly picking up her phone - I didn't realise you could do that' Her throat sounded scratchy like she had been crying. 

'Clara what's wrong? I can help' I sighed. 

'No. I'm fine. Got kids to teach. Bye' she said hanging up. But she should know better than that by now. I was the one who got her the job... So I know where she'll be. 

I flicked the levers of the Tardis and landed in the janitors closet three minutes before the lunch bell - and figured I could wait here. 

 

When the bell finally rang - a whole bunch of small children started wandering the corridor so I figured this was the time to leave and try to blend in. 

It was when I came past the teachers lounge that I heard some talking - something that couldn't be missed. 'Apparently she's been blacking out in classes. We've had a couple of complaints now. And she passed out on the way to work a few days ago? She's a liability' 

'Hi John Smith. Just doing some -- err school spot checks. Who are you talking about?' I asked.

'Oh. Umm. Just a friend' he shrugged. Teachers code of conduct. Never get involved. 

'Is it by chance Clara Oswald. Short feisty. Brown hair? Big brown eyes you can't refuse?' 

'How did you know?' 

'Lucky guess' I smirked, spinning on my heels and went towards Clara's classroom. 

I tapped on the door, assuming I would get a response - but when I didn't I tapped again. 

After the third moment of ignorance I opened the door in impatience but there was no one in here. I stepped in and brushed my finger along the desk that was completely dust free and poked at the open book on the desk. 

'Ahem. Can I help?' A voice asked and as I turned it was Clara. 

Deer god it was Clara. What did she look like. Her hair was a mess. She was pale from head to toe. She looked like she hadn't slept in a week. There was massive black bags under her eyes and the spark in the brown doe like eyes wasn't there. 

She looked like she had been crying. 

The biggest shock of all was the cut that was running from her eyebrow to just before her hair line. 

Whatever had happened - or whatever was happening- wasn't good. 

'Doctor. I told you not to come' she said gathering some books slowly but then clutched onto the desk, gripping it tightly, and forcing her eyes to close. 

'Clara what's wrong?' I asked running towards her and she pushed me away, but collapsed, blacking out right in front of me. 'Clara' I begged but she was already coming around, meaning that whatever this was - was affecting her pretty badly. 

'I told you not to come' she said clutching her head, sitting up, leaning heavily on the desk for support. 

'Your coming with me. I'm not leaving you here in this state' I said holding a hand out to her, enticing her to grab it so I can help her up. 

'I'm fine really. Happens all the time. I'm handling it' she said but the fact that she could barely keep herself sitting upright - let alone standing upright now - said to me that she wasn't okay.

'The Tardis is in the Janitors closet. Wait for me there. I'll sort the head' 

I smoothed things over with him quickly heading back to the Tardis. When I slipped through the doors, j couldn't see Clara anywhere, but could hear sobbing and faint screams. 

'Clara?'

There she was. Sitting on the floor of her room - legs pulled up forcefully and tightly to her chest, crying clinging tears, and clearly in pain.

'Clara you need to tell me what's wrong. I can help, but why do you keep blacking out. Why didn't you want me here?'

'Your making it worse. Every time you speak your making it worse' she cried. 

'I'm confused' 

'I've lived 100's of lives. I'm living them all everyday Doctor. Consciously... And unconsciously. I haven't slept in weeks from fear of nightmares. I always die Doctor. I die every time. Everything I touch triggers memories. Books. Keys. Cars. Even the simple everyday things like pencils. Some are just so strong I black out. My mind can't cope' 

'God this is my fault. I should have realised. Fragile human minds aren't made to live with more than one life. Even when they realise they have a past life they struggle to cope from nightmares' 

'I can't do it. I can't hold on to what's real and what isn't anymore Doctor. Nothing about me makes any sense' 

I sighed deliberating how to help.

I knew what I could do but it would mean removing everything about Trenzelore- and risk other memories getting lost in the bunch

'Clara. I can help. You can't ride this one out. The stronger the trigger- the worse the memory right?' 

She nodded through the falling fresh tears. 

'You have to let me in to your mind. You have to concentrate. I'm sorry but it will hurt' I whispered coming forwards. 

'How much will it hurt?' 

'I'm so sorry Clara. But it will make you feel better. I promise' I said crouching now right in front of her broken, fragile body. 

She nodded in confirmation that I could do this so I leant forwards and smiled. 'I need you to concentrate. If there's anything you don't want me to see. You have to keep the thoughts away. Concentrate on the echoes, all those lives that are causing you hell. Make them known. Make them raw' I instructed. 'Ready?' 

'Yes' 

'Take a deep breath Clara this will hurt' I said. This wasn't the time to be lying to her. So I told her the truth - as any decent person would. 

I edged closer to her and could feel her shaky breath. The warm shaky breath in my face, as I pressed my forehead onto hers and felt her cry out underneath me. 

My hands still firmly locked on her temples - and forehead still tightly pressed to hers I continued to make my way in. 

She was trying to close me out, from the sheer pain. 'Clara let me in. Come on. I know you can do this. Concentrate my impossible girl' I whispered. 

'It hurts so much' she whimpered. 

'I'm so sorry' I said trying my best to ignore the sounds of muffled pain coming from her and the protests of her body. 

I could feel her hands clinging to mine on the side of her face and her shuddering underneath me trying to fight me off - but as soon as I start moving things around in here - she'll clam down because the pain will go away.

It took some time. 

Felt like hours but could only have been mere minutes. There was more going on in her head than I thought. 

I dread to think how many weeks this has been going on for. Trenzelore was over two months ago. 

If she had just told me earlier this was happening she wouldn't have got to the point where she was having blackouts. The point where everything  was so strong and setting her off. 

'Come on Clara. Just one more minute is all you have to stay conscious for' I begged her as I finished routing around in her mind. 

Things were a mess in here when I first got in. There was colours everywhere. Blacks and Blues mostly. Death and sadness. 

But as her mind started to clear down and started to go numb - I felt the colours of feelings disperse. Now it was just a lot of red for pain - I have no idea what kind of unbelievably splitting headache this is going to leave her, and a few greens and oranges for happiness. There was even some purples and pinks signifying love. 

Made me chuckle in wonder at who the lucky fella is. 

As things started to clear up and the echoes - along with some menacing memories of Trezelore - were tightly locked away - I pushed my way out of her mind, leaning away and saw the pain and relief in her eyes. 

I lifted my forehead from hers, leaving her exhausted and fragile, but she passed out into unconsciousness pretty much immediately, and I helped her gently fall, letting her head rest against the ground carefully. 

I stood up scanning her with the Sonic. 'Yep. That ought to do it' I confirmed looking at the results happily, then lifted her up off the floor. 

I placed her gently into her bed, tucking her in, and making sure she was quite comfortable - then left for a moment to sort some things out. 

Water and Drugs mainly. 

She was going to have quite the headache for a few days, and I didn't want her having to suffer any more than she has to - so water and paracetamol are the answer. 

 

'Hey. Don't sit up. You'll give yourself a head rush' I said softly as I noticed her stirring from her bed and trying to sit up. 

I gently pushed her back into the pillow and she looked at me with those big brown eyes. 'How are you feeling?' 

'A mixture of relief and agony. I have such a headache' she whimpered clutching her head.

'I know. Here take some pain killers and then go back to sleep, your mind is still fighting. You need sleep to build up your energy' I instructed handing her two white tablets. 

'That's paracetamol?'

'Yes it is' 

'I can't take it. I'm allergic. I've got some ibuprofen in my bag. I can take that' she said sitting up but I could see how lightheaded she went. 

'Woah. Stay right there young lady' I said grabbing them and she swallowed them soundly then curled up in the bed allowing me to leave her alone to sleep. 

It was no more than an hour later though - when I was in the console room that I found Clara wandering - because she stumbled into the main console room and faked a smiled. Why can't she just do as she's told?

'Clara' I warned. 'I told you not to get out of bed' I said confused and walked towards her but I could clearly see she had been crying again. 

'I can't sleep. My head hurts so much Doctor. I mean it's nothing like it was before. But I have such a headache' she whimpered. 

I grabbed her vibrating shoulders and pushed her towards the chair that was in the console room, sitting down and pulling her next to me. I wrapped a protective arm around her waist and she rested her head on my chest sighing in a little relief. 'What am I going I do with you Clara Oswald?' 

'Doctor' 

'Mm'

'What did you do?'

'I helped' 

'How?' 

'I got into your mind and put all those echoes away - with most memories of Trezelore. All you'll remember now is jumping in my time stream. You won't remember any of the pain, anyone who was there or any of those echoes. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone to handle the aftermath, I didn't realise it had been so long' I said stroking her arm. 

'It doesn't matter. I guess I should have called you when I started blacking out. When things got so bad it started affecting me. But it happened so slowly' 

'Clara, this is not your fault' I said pushing her face up. 'But - You are right, you should have come to me before you started getting injured. This' I said stroking my thumb down the cut on her forehead 'Was all my fault. I never should have let it get to the point. After Trezelore I should have blocked all those lives - In fact better still I never should have let you jump in the first place' 

'Please don't blame yourself Doctor. I didn't jump on force into your time stream - I jumped because I wanted too' she said as I pushed a strand of hair out of her face as she closed her eyes. 

'Go to sleep' I whispered to her and she did fall asleep on my shoulder.


End file.
